Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK for over 60's. Here are the signs and symptoms to look out for.

"The second one they did found a tumour,” said Andrea. “I was so worried. I remember the guy doing it went really quiet.

“I never thought it would be bowel cancer, I even accepted a student nurse in the room with me as I didn’t think it would be anything scary.

“The consultant went quiet and I knew it was serious as he was really chatty before.

"He went really pale and shut the door. I knew something was up. He diagnosed me with stage 2 cancer.”

Andrea was allowed to go home for Christmas after her diagnosis but was booked in for surgery in January.

She praised her Macmillan nurse who put her mind at rest and described how her treatment would progress.

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Bowel cancer symptoms: The disease is treatable and curable

I went to the doctors, they said it was just a flare-up

“I had instant trust in my surgeon. He explained everything.”

Andrea recovered well from her surgery, and now has a stoma bag, which experts say could be reversible. A colostomy is a surgical procedure to divert one end of the large intestine or colon, through an opening in the abdominal wall.

“The first few days, and the days in hospital I was nervous about dealing with the stoma bag,” she aid.

“They made me do it a few times, but now i’m okay with it.”

Andrea started chemotherapy in March, but is currently on a delay because of the effect it is having on her liver.

She also said she’s feeling optimistic.

“I must admit when they told me about my liver I had a bit of a down day - but I’m mostly positive,” she said.

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Bowel cancer symptoms: Andrea is currently having chemotherapy

Charity Bowel cancer UK is calling for a change to clinical practice to prevent people under the age of fifty being missed.

It said three out of five people diagnosed under the age of 50 will be diagnosed when the cancer is already in the later stages of disease, adding young people are typically diagnosed late because their symptoms can be blamed on other, less serious, but more common diseases.

The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:· Bleeding from your bottom or blood in your poo· A change in bowel habit lasting three weeks or more· Unexplained weight loss· Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason· A pain or lump in your tummy

Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer. Other health problems can cause similar symptoms. But if you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, go to see your GP.